The link between men, masculinities, and small arms – in particular, guns – is a close, multifaceted and intimate one. Individual civilian gun ownership is overwhelmingly in male hands, while militaries, police, security guards, guerrillas, gangs and other organizations that use small arms are also male-dominated, especially in roles which require handling small arms. Guns are often linked to notions of “manliness,” as well as to activities which are seen as “manly” pursuits such as hunting, warfare, or even violent crime. These notions are embedded in expectations of men to be providers, protectors of their communities, and at times violent agents of change. The close real and symbolic links between masculinities and small arms are reproduced in popular culture and are also reinforced by arms manufacturers, almost always owned and run by men. Their ads show guns in the hands of men in special police and military forces, of rugged individualists, or aristocratic-looking hunters—all masculinities for the gun purchaser to emulate.
The impacts of armed violence are also highly gendered. While men are the primary owners, users, and abusers of small arms, men and boys are also often the main direct victims of small arms violence, especially in countries with high levels of armed violence.8 However, small arms are also prevalent in different forms of gender-based violence (GBV), including femicide, so-called “honor” killings, and domestic and intimate partner violence (DV/IPV), which disproportionately affect women and girls. In societies with high levels of gun ownership, small arms also play a role in homophobic and transphobic violence.10 While the links between men, masculinities, and small arms are multiple, the arms control and disarmament fields have often struggled to engage effectively with masculinities. On the other hand, and with some exceptions as discussed further below, work on transforming masculinities has perhaps not engaged directly with armed violence or gun ownership to the fullest possible extent.
This paper seeks to contribute to the ongoing debates on these issues by outlining the current state of play, highlighting gaps and challenges, and presenting steps forward. This paper focuses on civilian small arms owners and users, rather than on men and masculinities in the military, police, or other armed organisations.13 It also focuses mainly on small arms ownership and use, rather than the “full life cycle” of small arms. The latter would require examining masculinities in the context of small arms production, marketing, storage, management, transfer, and disposal, all of which are under-researched areas beyond the scope of this paper—but in urgent need of further attention.
This paper is based on an extensive review of available literature on the issue of masculinities and small arms, as well as on forty-five conversations with practitioners, activists, researchers, and policy makers from civil society, think tanks, government, and international agencies. The research was conducted from September 2021 to February 2022.
In a brief background section, we first outline some of the policy frameworks with which this paper engages, give key definitions, and a summary of our research methodology. We then examine the links between masculinities and small arms in more detail, followed by a discussion of how gender
should be integrated into small arms programming. We then outline some promising approaches to working on masculinities in the context of small arms, and end with recommendations.
About GENSAC
The Gender Equality Network for Small Arms Control (GENSAC) is a membership network that aims to make small arms control policy and practice more gender responsive. The Network works to amplify international, regional, national, and local best practices of those who have been doing “small arms control behind the curtain,” including representatives from civil society organizations, women’s groups, conflict prevention, and development communities. It further aims to foster cross-regional learning through focused sharing of knowledge and experience among regionally
diverse groups of women’s rights advocates and technical experts on gender and/or small arms control. Learn more: www.gensac.network
About the Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies
The Pathfinders are a group of 39 UN member states, international organizations, global partnerships, civil society, and the private sector partners. The Pathfinders work to accelerate action to implement the SDG targets for peace, justice, and inclusion (SDG16+). Learn more: www. sdg16.plus
In 2020, Pathfinders launched the Movement to Halve Global Violence by 2030, inspired by the international community’s mandate to “significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere” by 2030 (SDG16.1). We collaborate with at least one hundred partners to prioritize and enhance concrete and practical solutions that reduce multiple categories of violence and build innovative coalitions to tackle the pressing challenge of violence in its many forms. Learn more: www.sdg16.plus/peace
About WILPF
The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) is a worldwide non governmental organization (NGO) with national sections covering every continent, an International Secretariat based in Geneva, and an office in New York City. Since our establishment, we have brought together people from around the world who are united in working for peace. In 2021, WILPF and the MenEngage Alliance launched a new initiative to shine light on the concept of militarized masculinities and to mobilize men for feminist peace. Through this project, WILPF
is working in ten countries around the world to conduct on-the-ground research and actively educate and mobilize men to speak up for women’s rights, gender equality, justice, and peace. Learn more at: www.wilpf.org
Acknowledgements
This Issue Brief was prepared by Dr. Mia Schöb and Dr. Henri Myrttinen for the Gender Equality Network for Small Arms Control (GENSAC), at the request of the Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies, based at NYU’s Center for International Cooperation, and in partnership with the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF). The authors, GENSAC, and WILPF wish to thank everyone who participated in this study and so generously shared their time and insights with us. This project was made possible by the generous support of the German
Federal Foreign Office.
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